Dave Andrews

On my tour of the US I was able to share the message of The Jihad Of Jesus with up to a couple of thousand people: in Muslim groups – at the Conference of Islamic Organization of North America, the Islamic Center in Boston and the Apex Mosque in Raleigh; in Christian groups – at Northwest College, Fuller Seminary, the Fellowship of Christ, Seattle Mennonite and Westside Vineyard Church; and interfaith groups – the Interfaith Community Sanctuary, Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace and Peace Catalyst International.

Four of the people I came in contact with working with Peace Catalyst International were Jeff Burns, Bill Clark, Neal Foster and Thomas Davis. Peace Catalysts are committed to ‘following Jesus, waging peace’. They say that they seek to stimulate peacemaking between individuals and between peoples, and ‘in a world rife with conflict, promote reconciliation between Christians and Muslims’. It was a privilege for me to be present at a very beautiful interfaith meal hosted by Peace Catalysts Bill and Julie Clark, with Christians and Muslims sitting round the table together, speaking grace and peace to one another, in the shadow of the terror that stalks our lives.

One of the most remarkable characteristics of Peace Catalysts, who have many former evangelical missionaries on their staff, is that they do not to proselytize. They told me that in order for them to be Christians committed to caring for Muslims, authentically, without a hidden agenda, that it is essential they do not covertly try to convert them into Christians.

In fact, one of the most memorable stories I heard in the U.S., was told by Thomas Davis, about the day he met with a group of Imams and apologised for the ‘friendship evangelism’ that he had practiced as a missionary. He said that it was early days in developing his relationships with the Imams in town, and he felt he needed to come clean with them right from the start. So he told them about ‘friendship evangelism’, a mission strategy that he had used in the field, to cultivate relationships as a means to ‘evangelize’ his ‘friends’.

Thomas confessed to the Imams that he had now come to believe that the practice, which used relationships as a means to an end, other than the stated desire of developing respectful, reciprocal friendships, such as proselytization, was dishonest, underhanded and inappropriate behavior. Thomas asked the Imams to forgive him for treating Muslims like this in the past and said that if they gave him a chance to relate to them and their communities, he promised them he would not do it again in the future. Instead, he assured them, he would be honest, open and transparent in all his dealings.

Thomas said he didn’t know how they would react. But the senior Imam at the meeting immediately responded by saying that this was the kind of Christian that Muslims could work with. And they have worked together ever since.

Endnote: Jesus didn’t call his followers to convert others. Conversion is God’s work not ours. And we can do great damage when we play God at other people’s expense. Instead Jesus called his followers to witness to others. He said ‘you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’ (Acts1:8) And he suggested a good way to witness was by working whole-heartedly for the common good. Jesus said: ‘let your light shine before others, that they may see your good works and praise your Father in heaven.’ (Matt.5:16)